StarCraft: Frontline: Twilight Archon
StarCraft: Frontline: Twilight Archon is a short-story in Volume 3 of the StarCraft: Frontline graphic novel series. Ren Zatopek developed the entire story from scratch, the only directive from Blizzard Entertainment being that it focus on the protoss.2009-09-08, Blizzplanet Live Chat with Tokyopop: Starcraft: Frontline Vol. 4. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2009-09-20 Description As the head instructor of a protoss templar school, wise Lekila has always plumbed the depths of the Khala—the protoss' Path of Ascension—with the diligence of a student. But when the zerg sever Lekila's connection to the Khala, the psionic bond shared by all Aiur protoss, what more might the grieving teacher sacrifice to become whole again? Synopsis High templar Rihod commanded a mothership over an alien world, which was endangered due to volcanic eruptions. While the ground team worked to save the aliens, Rihod discussed his history with the head teacher of a templar school, Lekila. They were interrupted by news of the fall of Aiur and the evacuation order. Rihod ordered the mothership to travel to Aiur via warp gate. Upon seeing the devastation, he ordered the mothership kept safe while he would take a shuttle down to the surface. Meanwhile, the school came under attack by the zerg. Lekila and her ten students fled to the inner temples, only to receive the order to evacuate via warp gate. The team fought a desperate battle in the jungle, even creating two archons. Lekila herself fell in combat, trying to take her attackers with her using a psionic storm. Lekila awoke in the care of Tyrak, a Dark Templar healer. Although her attacker had likely meant to decapitate her, her psionic appendages had been severed instead, cutting her off from the Khala. As the dark protoss remove their own psionic appendages, they were uniquely qualified to treat Lekila's injury. She tried to kill herself with lightning, but Tyrak asked her to respect the wishes of those who rescued her, and told her that the Void embraced her already. Lekila had an awkward meeting with Rihod and the students, who had all survived. She feared they would mistrust her for being cut off from the Khala. The Council had a new task for Lekila; they wished her to retrieve the Kassia crystal from the lower temple of the Velari school, as she was the only living templar who knew the catacombs. The crystal was used by the xel'naga to increase protoss fertility, but it could be used by the zerg for the opposite effect. Furthermore, the protoss could use it as a weapon against the zerg, reducing their spawning as well. The mission quickly fell into difficulty. The ship (seemingly a carrier) which took them to Aiur fell under siege by the zerg, while Lekila and Rihod's team were attacked by lurkers. The catacombs continually shifted, and when they finally found the crystal it was sealed by a xel'naga-created barrier which was immune to the energies of the Khala. With no Dark Templar with them, Lekila was forced to use her newly found Void powers to shatter the barrier. However the zerg were about to destroy the carrier, causing the protoss to wonder if they had retrieved the crystal, only to lose it to the zerg. Lekila and Rihod fused into a twilight archon, which immediately transported the crystal aboard the carrier. The ship's commander, a Dark Templar, contacted the executor, saying he believed "we have seen the future". Characters *Lekila *Rihod Minor Characters *Tyrak Notes In the development of the story, Lekila's students were named (twice, as per Blizzard Entertainment asking that their original names be changed). In the story itself however, they remain nameless.2009-09-08, Blizzplanet Live Chat with Tokyopop: Starcraft: Frontline Vol. 4. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2009-10-10 References Zapotek, Ren (w), Noel Rodriguez (p, i), Mel Joy San Juan (i). "Twilight Archon." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 3 (paperback binding), pp. 132-177. Tokyopop, July 14, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80832-5. Category: StarCraft: Frontline stories